Insulated rail-joint for electric signal systems



G. W. TUCKER.

INSULATED RAIL JOINT FOR ELECTRIC SIGNAL SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-5.1921.

1,373,387. Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

/ I? Z; /7 ,z Elm/MM LI 1 lag 211 1120 v or adjoining ends, eliminating aseparate insheet metal angle plate preferably of steel GEORGE W. TUCKER, OF POTTSVILIQE, PENNSYLVANIA.

INSULATED RAIL-JOINT FOR ELECTRIC SIGNAL SYSTEMS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented B131, 29, 1921 Application fi1ed.J'anuary '5, 1921. Serial No. 435,189.

T 0 all 'wlwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. Tponnn, a citizen of the .United States, residlng at Pottsville, in the county of Schuylkill and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Insulated Rail-Joints for Electric Signal Systems, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawmgs.

In some insulated rail joints heretofore used, the adjoining ends are supported by metal chairs or bridging-plates, extending across the joint and provided at one or both sides of the rail with upright flanges, there being interposed between the flanges, and the webs of the rail wood packings or fillings, and through which transverse fastening bolts are passed. This construction requires insulating material to be interposed, not only between the ends of the rails, but also between their bases and the metallic chairs, and between the transverse bolts and the flanges of the chairs. In such construction the wood fillings and the insulation in time become crushed, while the bottom insulation becomes battered or shifts out of place, rendering the joint expensive to maintain, and unsafe and unreliable in use; p

In the present inventionit is an object to provide an insulation, wherein a bottom flange or plate and an end post are combined, there being two between the adjacent sulating base and a separate end post, thereby obviating the danger of a shifting movement of the insulating material, particularly its base, also increasing the life of the insulating material, lessening the expense of maintenance, and making the insulated joint more reliable and durable.

It is a further purpose to increase the life of the insulating material, by interposing a between the bottom and the end of the rail and the insulating base and end post.

It is still further 'an object to provide a joint insulation between two rails, especially in connection with an electric signal system,

comprising a pair-or two separate combined base plates and end posts, eliminating the wearwhich would ordinarily occur, should a continuous insulating base material be used.

It is obvious that this type of insulation connection with railways where automatic signaling systems are employed, and where a chalr or baseplate is used under the rail, causing the continuation of the rails.

An advantage of the present invention is to provide an insulating base and end post, which will not crawl out of or from the olnt under heavy traffic, or will not shift, for the post and plate are formed in one piece, and where they are connected, the rails are prevented from cutting through the base.

A further advantage is to provide a form of joint insulation, which may be cheaply manufactured and sold at areasonable profit, and also to provide an insulating device, wherein there is rendered asav'i'ng of. substantially one half of the insulating material heretofore used.

WVhile the design and construction at pres- I vided they are comprehended within the scope of what is claimed. j

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts, as willbe hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view in side elevationof the adjacent or adjoining end portions of two rails, showing the improved insulating joint between the rails.

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one of the insulating members, showing the angle insert plate as engaging therewith.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the angle insert plate.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4l of Fig. 1, showing how the rails are connected.

Referring more especially to the drawings, 1 designates each of the insulators as a whole of the rail joint, and said insulator comprises a base 2, which engages between the tie and the rail base, and 3 denotes the end. post, which engages between the adjoining or adjacent ends of the rails, The insulator may be constructed of any suit able insulating material, such as the usual flber employed for this purpose, and it will be noted that the end post is formed at right angles to the base. The end post 3 is of a shape corresponding to the shape of the rail in cross-section, so that the'edges of the post are flush. with the surfac of the rail.

WVhen insulating rail joints, for the purpose of dividing a track into blocks, for

block signal systems, two insulators are employed. The insulators are arranged as shown in the drawing, so that the bases 2 will extend in opposite directions, and upon which the bases of the rails rest. It will be noted that the posts 3 of the adjacent ends of the bases of the insulators engage each other, and are disposed between the adj oining ends of the rails, thereby insulating one rail upon the other.

Engaged with and conforming to the an-.

As a further reason for the insert plate 5 with its flanges 6 and 7 particularly the flange 7, is to space the rails a requisite distance by means of the insert plates, so as to give the rails a chance to expand and contract without injur to the upper part of the insulation. In *ig. 1 the flanges 7 are slightly thicker than the flanges 6, to insure the expansion and contraction of the rails.

Furthermore the steel insert plates constitute means, to prevent the corner portions of the rail bases from cutting into and tending to crush or otherwise injure the insulators, particularly at the points where the end posts rise upwardly from the bases. Heretofore insulators were injured considerably, and crushed, or otherwise cut by the ends of the rails, particularly due to the creeping of the rails as a result of the traflic of the car wheels thereon, and also due-to the expansion and contraction of the rails, hence the provision of the steel insert plates to insure protection for the insulators. These insert plates may be held in place in any suitable manner, preferably through the medium of the rail ends resting thereon, in fact due to the frictional contact therewith, or they may be retained in position by any other suitable means (not shown). It is obvious that when these insert plates become worn and are not serviceable for the pur pose intended, they may be easily replaced by new ones, and in this way enabling the insulators to be used substantially indefinitely. In other wordsa construction of this kind renders the insulators Very durable, and owing to the simplicity of construction of the insulators and the insert plates, the insulating means may be cheaply manufactured, and sold. and installed at a reasonable profit. i

In order to connect the adjacent rail sec tions 8, and at the same time insulate one rail section from the other, and also not incumbering or involving complicated construction wooden filler blocks 9 are disposed adjacent the webs of the rail sections between the bases and the under parts of the ball of the rail sections, there being the usual bolts 10 passing through the blocks and the rail sections. A metallic chair or bridging plate is disposed under the bases 2 of the insulators. This metal chair or bridging plate is designed to be supported on the tie (not shown). The longitudinal edges of the metal chair or bridging plate 11 have upstanding flanges 12, and interposed between the flanges 12 and the wooden filler blocks are angle side plates 13. .It will be noted that the wooden filler blocks are thicker than the lateral portions of the bases of the rail sections; thereforethe filler blocks overhang theside edges of the bases of the rail sections, hence spacing the side angle plates from the bases of the rail sections. These angle side plates are designed for the purpose of strengthening the joint between the rail sections. The bolts 10. pass through the upstanding flanges of the side angle plates and are provided with nuts 14, to hold the parts together. In order to insulate the angle side plates from the rail sections and prevent the transmission of current, the bolts 10 pass through flanged fiber bushings 14?, which are engaged in openings 15 of the upstanding flanges of the side angle plates. Interposed between theflanges of I the bushings 14 and the heads and nuts of the bolts, and surrounding the outer ends of the bushings are washers 16 of any suitable metal preferably steel, The headsand nuts of the bolts engage the washers, and insure a firm or rigid construction. Suitable bolts 17 are disposed upwardly through the metal chair or bridging plate and through the horizontal portions of the side angle plates, and through sheet metal plates 18, and are provided with nuts 19. By means of the bolts 17 the side angle plates and the rail sections are connected securely to the metal chair or bridging plate, which may be fastened to the tie (not shown) in any suitable manner. Each bolt 17 passes through an individual sheet metal plate 18, which has opposite bent portions 20, one cooperat- 20 act to hold the sheet metal plates 18 in place, and prevent the nuts 19 from turnmg. The plates 18 act as washers between the nuts 19 and the lateral portions of the side angle plates.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as being useful is 1. In an insulated rail joint for signaling systems, a pair of adjoining rail ends, in sulators angular in cross-section comprising bases engaged under the rail bases and adj acent end posts corresponding to and engaging between the adjoining rail ends, and a metallic insert angle plate engaging the insulators at the angle portion where the posts rise from the bases, said insert plates constituting means to support the rail bases slightly out of contact with the bases of the insulators, and to space the end rails from the end posts.

2. In an insulated rail joint, a pair of adjoining rail ends, insulators engaging between the adjoining ends and having bases engaging under the rail bases, and insert reinforcing means interposed between the angle of the insulators and the bases of the rails, and between the ends and the upstanding posts of the insulators.

3. As an article of manufacture, a rail joint insulator comprising an elongated base, and an end post rising upwardly from one end of the base, the end post adapted to engage the rail end, while the base engages under the rail base, and a reinforcing insert plate engaging the angle adjacent where the post and the base of the insulator unite.

4. In combination with a rail end and a right angle insulator adjacent-the rail end, an article of manufacture comprising an insert plate consistin of a base to engage between the base of the rail and the insulator, one end of the base of the insert platehaving an upstanding flange engaged between the rail end and the upstanding portion of the insulator.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

GEORGE W. TUCKER. 

